1999–00 NBA season
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 54th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA championship, beating the Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2 in the 2000 NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *The 2000 NBA All-Star Game held in Oakland, California. The West won 137–126. Tim Duncan from the San Antonio Spurs and Shaquille O'Neal from the Los Angeles Lakers shared the game's MVP honors. The Slam Dunk Contest returned after a two-year absence, with Vince Carter winning the title. *Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers played their first games at the Staples Center. The Lakers would also go on to win 19 consecutive games between February 4, 2000 and March 16, 2000, the fifth-longest winning streak in NBA history. *Staples Center's first season saw its tenants at two opposite ends of the league: the Lakers finished with a regular season record of 67–15 and won the NBA title, while the Clippers finished 15–67, the worst record of the season. *The Denver Nuggets played their first game at the Pepsi Center. *The Indiana Pacers played their first game at the Conseco Fieldhouse. *The Indiana Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. *The Atlanta Hawks played their first game at the Philips Arena. *The Miami Heat started the season playing their home games at Miami Arena. In January, they played their first game at the AmericanAirlines Arena. *The Toronto Raptors played their first full season at the Air Canada Centre. They also made the playoffs for the first time becoming the first Canadian team to do so. *During Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the Portland Trail Blazers held a 15-point lead over the Los Angeles Lakers with 10:28 left to play. During the fourth quarter, the Blazers would miss thirteen consecutive shots, allowing the Lakers to claw back and take the game, 89–84. The game was capped off with a famous alley-oop pass to Shaquille O'Neal from Kobe Bryant. *Two players are killed in automobile accidents within four months of each other. On January 12, Bobby Phills of the Charlotte Hornets was killed in reckless driving while racing against teammate David Wesley. On May 20, Malik Sealy of the Minnesota Timberwolves was driving home from a birthday party being held for Kevin Garnett, when a drunk-driver driving on the wrong side, struck his SUV. *The Boston Celtics officially retired their trademark parquet floor on December 22, 1999 after 54 years. The floor would be replaced by a replica combining elements of the old floor and new wooden sections. *The season marked Patrick Ewing's last in a New York Knicks uniform. He was traded during the 2000 offseason to the Seattle Supersonics in a three-team deal. *Hall of Fame player Wilt Chamberlain passed away on October 12, 1999 at age 63. Wilt's former teams, the Lakers, Sixers, and Warriors honored him by sporting black patches for the rest of the season. Final standings Eastern Conference | valign="top" width="50%"| |} Western Conference | valign="top" width="50%"| |} C''' – NBA Champions Statistics leaders NBA awards *'''Most Valuable Player: Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers *'Co-Rookies of the Year:' Elton Brand, Chicago Bulls; Steve Francis, Houston Rockets *'Defensive Player of the Year:' Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat *'Sixth Man of the Year:' Rodney Rogers, Phoenix Suns *'Most Improved Player:' Jalen Rose, Indiana Pacers *'Coach of the Year:' Doc Rivers, Orlando Magic *'All-NBA First Team:' **F – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs **F – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves **C – Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers **G – Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics **G – Jason Kidd, Phoenix Suns *'All-NBA Second Team:' **F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz **F – Grant Hill, Detroit Pistons **C – Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat **G – Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers **G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers *'All-NBA Third Team:' **F – Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings **F – Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors **C – David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs **G – Eddie Jones, Charlotte Hornets **G – Stephon Marbury, New Jersey Nets *'All-Defensive First Team:' **Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs **Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves **Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat **Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics **Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers *'All-Defensive Second Team:' **Scottie Pippen, Portland Trail Blazers **Clifford Robinson, Phoenix Suns **Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers **Eddie Jones, Charlotte Hornets **Jason Kidd, Phoenix Suns *'All-Rookie First Team:' **Elton Brand, Chicago Bulls **Steve Francis, Houston Rockets **Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Clippers **Wally Szczerbiak, Minnesota Timberwolves **Andre Miller, Cleveland Cavaliers *'All-Rookie Second Team:' **Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns **Ron Artest, Chicago Bulls **James Posey, Denver Nuggets **Jason Terry, Atlanta Hawks **Chucky Atkins, Orlando Magic Category:NBA season